Spirit Cove
by Moonshadow Swiftpaw
Summary: Kagome has just learned that she has a grandfather. When her mother leaves herself and her younger brother in his care odd occurances and a demon grounds keeper lead her to believe something isnt quite right about Spirit cove. InuKag.AU
1. Chapter 1: Enter Spirit Cove

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all character © Rumiko Takahashi

Welcome to Spirit's Cove. What an odd name for a small ocean-side town. Kagome watched the sign whip by, as they flew down the highway, and she sighed wistfully. This was it. She was really going to meet her grandfather. Up until two days ago she didn't even know she had one, but her mother had confronted her with the news rather suddenly one afternoon when she'd returned home from school.

"_Now, Kagome dear, don't fuss. I was going to tell you eventually_." That was what her mother had said. So this was her excuse for keeping something this important from her own daughter for fifteen years? Kagome huffed, and shot the rear-view mirror a heated glance.

Souta was excited at least. Maybe he was too young to understand how horrible it was for mother to lie to them.

"Are you still sulking Kagome?" Her mother questioned. She sounded tired, and defeated. Kagome's constant sulking must have been taking its toll on her.

"No." Kagome mumbled. Her tone of voice wasn't at all convincing.

"Look, we're almost there. I want you to smile for your grandfather. He hasn't seen you since you were very little, and I'm sure he'd want you to be a happy young girl." She smiled at Kagome from her spot behind the wheel, "That goes for you as well Souta. I want to see you both smiling for as long as you'll be staying."

"I can't smile all day for a month mom." She grumbled.

"Two months." Her mother cut in, "Maybe more." This caught Kagome off guard, and she sat straighter in her seat. She fixated her mother with an incredulous glare.

"Two months! I promised Eri and Yuka we'd go to the beach when I got back! This isn't fair!" Her mother tried not to hear the distaste in her daughter's voice, and responded with another well-meaning smile.

"Kagome dear, I'm sorry. I forgot to tell you we'd be staying longer…" She trailed off as if she had more to say, but she shook her head and opted to concentrate on the road.

"I don't believe this!" Kagome cried in exasperation. "Am I going to have to spend my entire summer with a stuffy old man? I won't get to go to the beach now."

"Don't be silly dear, this is a beach town."

Kagome fumed silently, and turned forcefully to stare out the window once more. She used to have a good relationship with her mother, but that was before all of this. Lately she'd felt nothing but bitter resentment. How could someone she trusted so readily betray her like this?

"Here we are!" Her mother said cheerfully. She turned into a long dirt driveway and Kagome re-directed her gaze at the house before them. House was perhaps the wrong word for it. It was more along the lines of a miniature mansion. _Figures_, she thought,_ He's rich too._

She felt bitter again, but she had to admit the sprawling estate, although old, was truly a sight to behold. There had to be at least ten rooms from what she could tell. There was a neatly kept garden surrounding the wrap around porch, and the lawn was lush and freshly cut. Kagome however was determined to keep a sour outlook, and silently convinced herself that the inside would be full of musty furniture, and smell strongly of old man.

Reasonably satisfied with her assumption she was preparing herself for the worst when out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of white. She whipped around to stare out the back window. A barefoot boy stepped onto the drive behind them, a boy with snow white hair, and a solemn expression. He adjusted the bandana atop his head, and watched them as he grew smaller in the distance. A chill rippled down Kagome's back, and she turned to face the front.

"Who was that?" She said in hushed tones, as if the boy could have heard her. Her mother said nothing pulling up in front of the house, and turning off the car.

"Why don't we go meet your grandfather?" She stated. Although she smiled her eyes remained emotionless. Kagome realized than that something about her whole demeanor was off.

"Wake Souta for me would you?" Her mother asked as she got out of the car. Kagome hadn't even realized he'd fallen asleep. She glanced back at the sleeping boy, before shaking herself mentally and opening her door. Something was beginning to feel very off about this place. She glanced down the drive. The white-haired boy was gone.

"Kagome dear, please hurry. We're expected." Kagome sighed and climbed into the back of the car. She shook Souta's shoulder lightly and he groaned and began to stir.

"Kagome?" He asked, wiping the sleep from his eyes. "Are we there yet?"

She nodded. The ten year old boy sat up, and the two of them slid out of the car. Souta stopped dead in his tracks staring up at the villa.

"I know… amazing isn't it?" She sighed and closed the car door. Their mother had already disappeared inside leaving the two outside with the suitcases. Funny, there were only two suitcases sitting on the porch.

"No… Kagome…?" Souta voice sounded strained. "This house was in my dreams." Kagome started, and looked at the boy. Her heart was beating faster now.

"What are you on about?" She murmured. Souta repeated himself.

"I don't like it here." He cast Kagome an uneasy glance. She had to agree with him on that point. Something about this whole place threw her off.

"Why... don't we go inside?" She offered. Souta seemed a bit hesitant, but nodded. Mother had gone in hadn't she? She was probably just imagining this place gave her the creeps, as one last desperate attempt to make herself miserable this trip. She was going to be here most of the summer, she might as well at least try to enjoy herself.

She led Souta to the porch. It was pristine. The white floor boards had been swept and scrubbed to perfection. A table set was arranged just so beneath a painfully clean window and flower box. How anyone managed to keep something outside so clean was a mystery to Kagome. She almost felt guilty for the dirt she and Souta had tracked onto the first few steps.

She stopped beside her suitcase, and attempted to lift it. It was heavy. She never was one to pack light. At least no one expected her to carry in Souta, and mother's suitcases. Where was mother's suitcase? Kagome half-heartedly assumed that her mother had already taken it inside.

"Kagome dear, let the help take care of that." She glanced up at the sound of her mother's voice to see the woman emerge from the large front door, fake smile plastered all over her face. She certainly was acting strange. Maybe it was for her grandfather's sake. Her mother glanced over her shoulder, and stiffened the slightest bit.

"Quick dears, he's coming. Be sure to keep smiling okay?" There was a touch of urgency in her voice. Souta began fidgeting in anticipation, and Kagome was fixated on the door. She wanted to see who would emerge. What kind of man was her grandfather? What would he look like? Her mother stepped aside, and a tall thin man stepped out beside her. He was dressed in brisk grey suit, and he had a no nonsense look on face. His hair had grayed long ago, and he had a bit of a beard tufting off his chin. He glanced at the dirt covered steps with distaste, and again Kagome felt a pang of guilt.

"Would these be the children Emiko?" His voice sounded exactly how Kagome suspected it might, deep and to the point. There would be no foolishness around this man. Her mother nodded, glancing between the two with smile fixated in place.

"This is Kagome and Souta." She moved toward them, but stopped when he cast her look.

"They don't seem very happy." He stated.

"Oh, yes of course. They are very happy. They've just had a very long trip. I'm sure you understand how children can get." She laughed a nervous tittering little laugh, though the old man did not seem amused. She fell silent.

"Very well." He said finally. "Inuyasha, bring in their bags, and set them in the foyer. Emiko you may take your leave."

It took Kagome a moment to register those words. Even as the white-haired boy pushed past her with a grunt, and seized her bags she was still grappling with the meaning behind them.

"Mama?" She inquired, but her mother would not meet her gaze. Instead she nodded to the old man, and they exchanged a few hushed words before she turned back to face her stunned children.

"Now you two be good, and remember to smile" She prompted. She gave them both a quick peck on the forehead, and was on her way before kagome could so much as speak another word.

"Mama…" She whispered. Her grandfather drew the children's attention by clearing his throat.

"As I'm sure you children are aware, there will be rules. You will follow them without question. If you abide by the rules than you will live very peacefully here. The first is that you must be on time for every meal, and you must be dressed for the occasion. The second is that you never leave the property without obtaining my permission. Bed time will be at ten o'clock sharp, and you will wake for breakfast at six. And lastly you have free roam of the entire house excluding the third room on the second floor. This room is locked, and you must never enter it." He finished, and stared at the two youths for a moment.

"I suggest you arrange your belongings how you'd like them to be." And with that he turned and disappeared into the house.

The moment they were alone Souta grabbed her hand, and she squeezed it reassuringly. She saw a flash of white out of the corner of her eye and glanced over to find the white-haired boy staring at them from the window. He looked upon them for only a moment, his expression resembling something like mild pity, but it was short lived. His scowl returned as soon as he realized she was watching, and he stepped away from the window leaving the two siblings on the porch alone and confused.

Well that would be Chapter one. Feel free to review it.


	2. Chapter 2: Argentina

A/N: Hey everyone. I'm sorry for the long span between updates. I do have a reason, though I'm sure you'd rather read the story than listen to me prattle on about personal problems and the like. I hope to continue to update this story to its completion. Long story short I lost ALL the progress I'd made over the last year and haven't had the heart since to go on writing. I have fresh ideas now, however. Please enjoy.

In her old life Kagome seldom had time to sit and just think. In her new life, the one that had started the moment she'd watched her mothers car wind around the coastal rode and out of sight, kagome had more thought process than she knew what to do with. She had barely been in Spirit cove more than a few hours, but already it felt like the most unwelcoming place on earth. She'd found the bedrooms stuffy and small, the idea of family meals uncomfortable at best, and the coastline to be utterly devoid of the silky white-sanded beaches of her home town. The water surrounding Spirit cove was murky, and it crashed formidably against the jagged rock cliffs. All in all Kagome felt as though she were sinking.

"Kagome?" Souta called feebly from the door to her room. "You said you'd take me into town. I'm ready now."

"Fine Souta." She snapped, but she really hadn't meant to come across so harsh. There was just something about this place. Even Souta was visibly affected. The normally jovial, trouble-maker had suddenly become demure and sad. Just something about this place, she reminded herself.

Kagome had an attic room. This meant she was up above the third floor, and they'd have to descend three flights of stairs to get to the front door. Kagome had become wary of stairs. Stairs were often badly lit, and creaked for the sole purpose of setting her on edge. Of course that was true of most things about Spirit cove, but stairs had the added disadvantage of drawing out unsavory people.

There was the creak of an opening door below them, and the maid Argentina stepped into the hall, locking the door behind her. The door to the forbidden room. Kagome's curiosity was piqued, but she had learned to dislike Argentina early on. The woman was cold and abrupt. She noticed the children sneaking down the stairs and jumped as if she'd been startled.

"What are you doing?" She snapped. She affixed them with a cool gaze. Her eyes clearly portraying her dislike of them. She was staring pointedly at Kagome, as if she were a starving child lingering outside a fancy restaurant. There was a hunger in the woman's eyes.

"We were going to go into town." Kagome forced herself to say, keeping her discomfort out of her voice. Argentina stuffed a ring of keys into her apron pocket and jerked her head to one side in an unnatural fashion.

"You will not! No, not today. Tomorrow. Dinner is at six sharp. Do not be late." Argentina swept down the hall, leaving the children confused and disappointed. Their plans for the evening were spoiled.

"Can we still go outside?" Souta pleaded. Kagome shook her head.

"I don't want us to be late for dinner…" She muttered, "We have to dress up… remember? Besides we're going to be here awhile, we can save exploring outside for another day." Souta hung his head in childish dismay. For a brief moment kagome thought he may have resembled his old self. She felt stupid for thinking something like that, though. They hadn't even been here a day. For all she knew he could have been in a bad mood. She didn't blame him. The atmosphere in the mansion was stifling. She'd give anything for a breath of fresh air.

"I'll tell you what Souta. There's a flat bit of roof outside my window. If you promise to be careful we can go sit out there for a bit." Souta nodded eagerly.

The fresh air seemed to be just what Kagome needed. Souta had amused himself with some kind of caterpillar-like insect that kagome preferred not to look at directly, though he insisted she did. She was just glad for the ability to relax for a scant moment and daydream.

"Hey there's a boy down there!" Souta exclaimed, dashing her thoughts of home. At least he was no longer poking and prodding poor hassled insects. Both Kagome and the caterpillar were relieved. Kagome gazed half-heartedly over the rim of the roof-top. It was the white-haired boy from before. He was going about his business as usual, unaware of their presence.

"It's the guy who carried in our suitcases," Kagome noted, "Inu something or other."

"He looks Japanese… do you think he's related to us?" Souta inquired. Kagome just shook her head. He couldn't be, just look at his hair. White as spray of the ocean tackling the rocks behind him. Either he wasn't related or he was really a very young looking eighty year old man. Come to think of it, Kagome had never seen someone with naturally white hair before. She'd heard rumors back home of extreme stress or fear turning peoples hair white, but she wasn't sure she placed much merit in anything fantastical her friends told her.

She watched him with some small amount of interest as he plodded through the grass toward the cliffs. What could he possibly be doing? He turned than suddenly, looking directly at her. Her stomach flipped, and she drew back involuntarily. He knew they were there? She didn't have time to ponder it.

"What are you doing out there?" An angry voice sounded behind them. Kagome whipped around to find Argentina standing in the doorway. She had been so intently fixed on the boy that she hadn't heard Argentina coming up the stairs to the attic. Sheepishly, she herded her brother back inside, casting one last glance out the window. The boy was gone, vanished completely from the cliff-side. Where could he have possibly gone so fast, other than… For the second time that day her stomach flipped.

"Th… that boy!" She stuttered, "The one with the white hair! I think he's gone over the cliff!"

"Nonsense!" Argentina said curtly, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"But you were standing right there! You must have seen it! How could you possibly sa-"

"There is no boy!" Argentina burst out, before seeming to reel her outburst back in and pretend she'd said nothing.

"Leave." She barked at Souta sending him scurrying out the door. An uncomfortable silence infiltrated the room in his absence. Kagome felt awkward standing in front of the open window, an unpleasantly cool breeze licking at her back. The sun was beginning to set outside.

"I should get ready…" Kagome stated. She had began to take a step away from the window when Argentina grabbed her arm, and yanked her painfully away toward her. She found herself face to face with the unpleasant woman. Her breath was acrid, and Kagome tried not to breathe in too deeply.

"Listen here little Bitch," She growled, "We don't like girls in this house. Cause trouble, they do." Kagome shied away from her, but the woman's grip kept her from retreating. "You'd better not cause any trouble, or start up with any nonsense stories... I'm going to find punishing you very satisfying." She'd left no question about it. It wasn't if she caused trouble, or when, but something more along the lines of I'll get you soon. And the intent was perfectly clear in the woman's eyes. The same hunger was there. She need only wait for the opportune moment to pounce. Argentina released her vice-like grip on Kagome, shoving her lightly.

"Dinner is in twenty minutes. Please prepare yourself and be ready downstairs at the stroke of six." And with that she left. Kagome rubbed her aching wrist and backed toward the open window. She longed so much to crawl out onto the roof and never look back. To find her mother waiting there, ready to take her back to her previous life. She felt a fierce ache begin in her chest. She missed mother, and her friends, and her home... She would never be happy here, in this horrible suffocating place. She wanted to crawl out into the cold night air, and escape. Instead she placed her quaking hands on the casement, and pulled it shut.

A/N: Yeah, I know. It's about time, eh? Well I got it done praise be. I promise I have not abandoned this fic, as might be obvious. In any case I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and remain intrigued. More to come soon.


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